Method and apparatus for targeted advertising

A device, comprising:

• a processing system including a processor;
• and
• a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
• determining a detected behavioral pattern, wherein the detected behavioral pattern comprises a behavioral pattern of a subscriber leader or a behavioral pattern of the subscriber leader and a plurality of subscriber followers who track activities of the subscriber leader, wherein the behavioral pattern of the subscriber leader influences a product consumption behavior of the plurality of subscriber followers, wherein the plurality of subscriber followers are identified in accordance with interactions between the subscriber leader and the plurality of subscriber followers, wherein the interactions are performed electronically via a network, wherein the interactions performed electronically via the network are identified electronically by the processing system, and wherein the determining the detected behavioral pattern is performed electronically via the network;
• detecting a first request from equipment associated with the subscriber leader to transmit first media content to a plurality of subscriber follower devices respectively associated with the plurality of subscriber followers, wherein an element of the first media content represents a substitutable product, wherein the first media content comprises video program content, and wherein the detecting the first request is performed electronically via the network;
• identifying in the first media content a first substitutable product;
• substituting the first substitutable product in the first media content with a first advertisement product supplied by a first advertiser, wherein the first advertisement product is selected according to the detected behavioral pattern to generate updated first media content, the first substitutable product being substituted with the first advertisement product by removing an image, corresponding to the first substitutable product, from the video program content and by inserting into the video program content, in place of the image that had been removed, an image corresponding to the first advertisement product, wherein the image corresponding to the first advertisement product is inserted into the video program content in a manner that adapts to movements of an item worn by an actor in the video program content, as the movements of the item had existed in the video program content prior to the substituting;
• and
• transmitting the updated first media content to the plurality of subscriber follower devices, wherein the transmitting the updated first media content is performed electronically via the network.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor of a communication service provider, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

• identifying an individual as a subscriber leader, wherein the identifying the subscriber leader is performed electronically via a network;
• identifying a plurality of subscriber followers that track activities of the subscriber leader, wherein the identifying the plurality of subscriber followers is performed electronically via the network, wherein the plurality of subscriber followers are identified in accordance with interactions between the subscriber leader and the plurality of subscriber followers, wherein the interactions are performed electronically via the network, and wherein the interactions performed electronically via the network are identified electronically by the processing system;
• detecting from the activities of the subscriber leader a detected behavioral pattern that influences a product consumption behavior of the plurality of subscriber followers, wherein the detecting the detected behavioral pattern is performed electronically via the network;
• receiving a request for media content from a subscriber follower device associated with any of the plurality of subscriber followers, wherein an element of the media content represents a substitutable product, wherein the media content comprises video program content, and wherein the receiving the request is performed electronically via the network;
• substituting the substitutable product in the media content with an advertisement product selected according to the detected behavioral pattern to generate updated media content, the substitutable product being substituted with the advertisement product by removing an image, corresponding to the substitutable product, from the video program content and by inserting into the video program content, in place of the image that had been removed, an image corresponding to the advertisement product, wherein the image corresponding to the advertisement product is inserted into the video program content in a manner that adapts to movements of an item worn by an actor in the video program content, as the movements of the item had existed in the video program content prior to the substituting;
• and
• transmitting the updated media content to the subscriber follower device, wherein the transmitting the updated media content is performed electronically via the network.